Index for fixed income securities market

ABSTRACT

An index for a fixed income securities market may be determined based on price information regarding current activity taking place on one or more securities.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of copending, commonly assigned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/235,595, filed Sep. 4, 2002 (U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2003/0055777), which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/225,537, filed Jan. 4, 1999, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,754,639, issued Jun. 22, 2004, which is a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/853,931, filed May 9, 1997, nowU.S. Pat. No. 5,857,176, issued Jan. 5, 1999, which is a divisional ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/396,422, filed Feb. 28, 1995, nowU.S. Pat. No. 5,774,880, issued Jun. 30, 1998, which is a file wrappercontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/897,377, filed Jun.10, 1992, now abandoned, each of which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to data processing systems fortracking and manipulating data corresponding to fixed income portfoliosand, more particularly, to data processing methods and apparatusdirected to the real time determination of selected fixed income indicesfor use in accurately gauging interest rate profiles in real time andmanaging a specifically delineated set of automated transactionsrelating thereto.

A sizable portion of investment vehicles available in today's financialmarkets are universally characterized as fixed income securities.Exemplary fixed income securities will encompass government bonds, billsand notes auctioned at regular intervals by the U.S. and other foreigngovernments to finance governmental activities. These, of course, aresome of many types of fixed income securities, others include corporatebonds, municipal bonds, etc. The common thread running between all fixedincome securities is the payment of a set return to the investor overthe life span of the security.

There are two forms of fixed income return to the investor. The firstinvolves the provision of coupon payments at regular intervals, at thestated interest rate of the security. For example, a ten-year note mayspecify an 8% rate of interest on a $1,000 par value with coupons comingdue twice each year for ten years. This translates to two $40 paymentsto the holder of the note for ten years with a final payment of $1040(principal and interest). The other form of bond is called a zerocoupon, or discount bond which provides no payment except for the finalreturn of the face value of the bond at a specified date (e.g. ten yearsfrom issuance). The discount bond is sold at some fraction of its facevalue, with the interest rate discount being a function of this and theterm of the bond.

The fixed income securities distributed by the United States Governmentare known as U.S. treasuries. These instruments span maturity terms of13 to 52 weeks (T-bills), one to ten years (notes), and up to 30 years(bonds). The T-bills are pure discount securities having no coupons. Allother treasuries having longer terms are coupon notes or bonds, with adefined payment cycle of semi-annual payments to the holder.

Treasuries have characteristic properties that make them especiallyuseful for the purposes of the present invention and, therefore, areused exclusively in the following discussions, with the fundamentaltenet that the principles may be applied to other types of fixed incomesecurities without departing from the inventive concepts. One importantattribute of treasuries, in the context of the present invention, is theminimal and uniform default risk; the issuance of U.S. government paperremoves the default risk as a defining criteria in the relative pricingof treasuries in the market place.

Treasuries are auctioned by the U.S. government at pre-establishedauction dates. The price for the treasuries having a face value with aset coupon rate will define the actual yield of the security. After theauction, the treasuries enter the secondary market and are tradedtypically “over the counter”, i.e., without a defined exchange. Asinflation expectations and market conditions change, the prices of therecently auctioned treasuries fluctuate. These price changes arereflected by competing bid and ask prices communicated among brokers anddealers in the secondary market. For example, the yield of a giventreasury increases as its price drops in the market reflecting anoverall increase in the interest rates for that term of security.

The newly auctioned securities are traded with and in conjunction withthe securities issued in earlier auctions. In this context, somesecurities are traded more often than others and are called the“actives”; these usually correspond to the recent issues as opposed tothe older securities in the market. Indeed, some older securities areinfrequently traded, creating an illiquid market that may or may notreflect the true market determined interest rate for that maturitylength security.

In January, 1992, there was a total of approximately $1.7 trillion ofU.S. notes and bonds outstanding. The majority of issues in dollar termsare short term. The profile of maturities (i.e., the expiration date ofthe security) indicates that $730 billion or 43% of the total willmature over the period between 1994 and 2002 (2 to 10 years out).Another 34% will mature in 1993 and 1994 and about 3% from 2003 and 2005and 20% maturing between 2006 to 2021. In this context, the periodbetween 2 and 10 years out in time incorporates a concentrated portionof the entire market.

Treasuries are sold by the government to fund projects, mandatedpayments and make strategic investments that cannot be paid by currentreceipts. Treasuries are purchased by individuals and institutions for avariety of reasons, including the protection of principal with a lowrisk investment vehicle and the generation of known future cash flows tofund the needs of, e.g., pension participants.

As can be realized by the foregoing description, the very size anddiversity of the treasury market implicates an unprecedented level ofsophistication by market participants in the pricing and transactionsinvolving these securities. The very complexity associated with thetransactions and the scale of trading undertaken by institutionalparticipants necessitates a rigidly structured approach in trading. Thecapital at stake and the fluidity of future commitments make it criticalto have a method of measuring the performance of portfolio managers, sothat plan sponsors for the pension plans and the like can preciselydetermine whether the capital under their control is properly invested.

In the past, the only barometer for fixed income investing was thestated price and yield for one or more specific instruments such as the30 year treasury bond. These yield values would be quoted on an ad hocbasis as a general measure of market position and direction. Morerecently, several large brokerage houses have developed differentindices to track the fixed income market beyond the single price issue.For example, Shearson-Lehman American Express has developed a T-Bondindex value that calculates a weighted average of every bond incirculation. Other indices exist with similar mechanisms for trackingthe credit marketplace.

There are several significant drawbacks to the use of these forms ofindices. The actual value is calculated at the close of the financialmarkets and, therefore, is not a real time determination, and, in fact,rapidly becomes stale as trading continues overseas and during the nexttrading day in the United States.

Other problems also exist; taking the entire market into accountnecessarily includes lightly traded issues that skew the final valuefrom extant market conditions. This is so as these lightly traded issuesdo not accurately reflect the term structure of interest rates as otherinvestment criteria, e.g., tax implications, control their market price.

There has also been a significant need for a hedging instrument on fixedincome investing. In this context, an investor might purchase aportfolio of long term bonds that are sensitive to small changes ininterest rates; to hedge this investment, this investor would enter afutures contract to sell instruments at a specific date in the future.Alternatively and more desirably, the hedge could be made with an indexcorresponding to a defined set of securities. This is not practical withthe presently available indices due to their reliance on a broadspectrum of securities in the defining basket; this precludes effectiveutilization of these indices as a basis for trading futures or optioncontracts.

From the above, it is apparent that there remains a substantial void inthe credit markets and a corresponding need for a real time barometer ofthe fixed income securities marketplace for the evaluation of portfolioperformance, the trends and current market conditions, and the tradingof indexed future and option contracts for fixed income securities.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a systemfor selectively reducing a substantial amount of market data into asimplified index instrument for use to measure the characteristics ofthe credit markets associated with the trading of fixed incomesecurities.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a system forcollecting in real time information on current market activity in fixedincome securities and processing this information to quantify the termstructure of interest rates in real time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatusfor the select processing of several types of data wherein data isqualified prior to use and translating the qualified data into a termstructure of interest rates for a hypothetical portfolio ofpredetermined fixed income securities.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a systemfor generating a real time barometer of the fixed income market anddelineating an index value associated with a basket of fixed incomesecurities for use in support of automated trading in futures andoptions contracts.

The above and other objects of the present invention are realized in aspecific illustrative data processing system for the compilation oflarge quantities of disparate market data into discrete data files ofvarying reliability. The data is thereafter qualified and then processedto calculate on an iterative basis the term structure of interest ratesin real time for a defined cross-section of the fixed income securitiesmarketplace. These values are then used to price a select, specificallydelineated portfolio of fixed income securities having varying terms tobridge an appreciable cross-section of the active market in fixed incomesecurities. The forgoing portfolio is characterized in terms of an indexvalue having a current market price (discount or premium from par), atrue yield to maturity value (YTM) and a quantified duration. As marketconditions change, the processor selectively updates some or all of thegoverning securities and based thereon modifies the index pursuant to apre-established criteria.

In accordance with the varying aspects of the present invention, thesystem further includes an automated trading module for receiving marketqualified buy and sell instructions for futures and options contractstied to the basket of securities forming the index.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing features and benefits associated with the presentinvention may be more fully appreciated pursuant to the followingdetailed discussion of a specific embodiment thereof, taken inconjunction with the Figures appended hereto, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the discrete components formingthe network associated with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a logic flow chart depicting the processing path for the dataacquisition and qualification module of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a logic flow chart depicting the processing logic for thedetermination of the present term structure of interest rates based onthe current qualified data matrix;

FIG. 4 is a logic flow chart depicting the real time update operation;

FIG. 5 is a logic flow chart depicting the processing associated withthe determination and distribution of the Index Value; and

FIG. 6 is a logic flow chart depicting the information flow associatedwith managing futures/options transactions providing a least expensiveportfolio of securities for delivery.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Turning now to FIG. 1, the overall information paths of the presentinvention are presented in block diagram form. Beginning with block 10,market data is collected from a plurality of on-line terminals operatedby traders within the relevant bond market sector. A continual exchangeof information flows between the traders, depicted in block 10, and thesystem proprietor, block 20, i.e., as bids, offers and trades aretransacted in real time. This information is collected by the systemproprietor and entered into the data processor database.

On-line market data is then transferred to the data filter and enhancermodule, block 40, which acts to clarify and articulate the continuousincoming market data for use, e.g., by data vendors, block 30. Oneaspect of the data enhancer operation will be the conversion of on-linetrading information into digital form for transmission to theclassification processor, block 50. The operation of the classificationprocessor is directed to creating a data set in proper format forfurther manipulation. This includes the generation of a coordinatedarray of data in matrix format.

Once properly formatted, the on-line market data is then transmitted tothe index processor, block 60, for determination of a real time indexvalue. This information is then loaded into the index database, block70, and then passed to the distribution processor, block 80.

The foregoing operation will result in the final real time index valuein terms of portfolio price, portfolio yield to maturity (YTM) andportfolio duration for distribution within the fixed income investmentcommunity. In the context of the present invention, three segments ofthis community are provided with the data. At block 90, systemproprietors involved in automated options processing are provided theindex values for quantifying and closing specific options positionspursuant to the trading of option contracts on the indexed portfolio. Ina similar manner, at block 110, the portfolio index data is provided tosystem proprietors regarding futures contracts to permit propertransactions in closing of future contracts based on the portfolioindex.

The third channel of distribution for the portfolio index data is to thedata vendors supplying the aforementioned index information, at block100. This is followed by the continual distribution of the index valuesto traders and brokers within the investment community, block 120, thesupport of automated trading, block 130, and finally declaring andreporting functions associated with such trading, block 140.

The above-identified processing modules for receiving market data andcalculating a portfolio index based thereon are governed by a systemscontrolled program. As illustrated hereinbelow, this program isexemplified by several discrete modules for inter alia the selection andqualification of incoming data (FIG. 2), the determination of the termstructure of interest rates (FIG. 3), updating the term structure withcurrent price information (FIG. 4), the determination of the portfolioindex characteristics based on the real time computer generated ratestructure (FIG. 5), and the support of automated futures optionstransactions (FIG. 6).

First briefly in overview, the term structure determination is amath-intensive operation directed to the solution of multiplerelationships comprising a like number of unknown quantities. Theserelationships involve the determination of the net present value of afuture cash flow based on current information regarding the date of thefuture cash flow and current pricing.

Often, the data set is incomplete; therefore, the system employsinterpolation techniques to provide missing points in the term spectrum.As provided below, the missing elements will invariably be close in time(e.g., within six months) of valid data points. This permits the use oflinear interpolation for bridging missing data points with a reasonabledegree of accuracy.

During the updating phase, the new price data will often reflectsignificant market movement, but will not displace the entire data set.The present invention, therefore, employs the use of pivot points, i.e.,the updated values of price are used to “pivot” the entire termstructure, including securities that have not been updated.

Once the real time term structure is characterized, the systemquantifies a generic portfolio of securities comprising the followingelements:

TABLE I Term (yrs.) Coupon % Face Value 2 5 $250,000 3  5½ $250,000 5 6$250,000 10 7 $250,000

This portfolio of four U.S. treasury notes has a total value of $1 M, aduration of approximately 4.2 years and a yield to maturity of almost6.25 when the four notes are each priced at par.

The foregoing portfolio is then market priced based on the current termstructure previously calculated. The portfolio value is then presentedin terms of an average par value (e.g., 104) with YTM and durationvalues. This index is particularly useful in tracking the treasurymarket, measuring portfolio performance and governing selectfutures/options contract trading.

With the foregoing brief dissertation, an illustrated implementation ispresented hereinbelow.

The first operation involves the qualification of the incoming marketdata transmitted to the system. This is accomplished via the logicstructure depicted in FIG. 2. Logic conceptually begins at block 200 andproceeds to block 210, initiating the index variable loop assigningmemory address locations for incoming price data, block 220. The firstoperation is to determine whether incoming data represents “closing”figures associated with the end-of-day trading (i.e., fixed in time). Apositive response to test 230 branches logic to block 240 wherein afirst matrix of price information is formatted from the incoming closingdata. In the context of the present example, this closing data couldrepresent the final price information received on a daily basis from theUnited States Federal Reserve for the United States Treasury market. Asthis information represents a complete set of price data at a fixedpoint in time, it is labeled “P” for proper, block 250.

Assuming a negative response to test 230, logic continues to test 270wherein the instant transaction is qualified as an active (most recentlyauctioned issue) treasury. A positive response to test 270 branches toblock 280. At block 280, the current transaction data is assigned intothe matrix of data values for actives A(I, N). Alternatively, a negativeresponse to test 270 bypasses block 280 and the security will remain inthe X(I, N) file set.

The next sequence of operation involves data qualification. Moreparticularly, as the system receives an incoming stream of priceinformation for plural securities, it must discern the validity andquality of the data on an instantaneous basis. This incoming data willinclude both bid and ask quotes for a given security and possibly atransaction price. The filters within the system for data screeningpurposes are fluid to the extent that practice and historical resultswill influence the relative weight given any filter factor. For example,during initial operation all actives will be considered good data sothat a sizable database may be quickly accumulated. At some subsequenttime, an active filter criteria may be employed to enhance the overallquality of the ensuing models generated from the actives.

Continuing with FIG. 2, test 290 queries whether a given securityrequires qualification. A positive response branches logic to block 300,where the first criteria applied involves measuring the spread betweenthe bid and ask price currently quoted, SPD(I, N). At test 310, thecurrent spread for that security is compared with a preset price spreadmaximum value, SPDmax. This preset spread limit is adjustable and may beinitially set at 5/32; i.e., a difference between bid and ask sides ofthe market of 5/32. A positive response to test 310, branches to block320 wherein the system discards the price information for that security.This data is removed from the data set because such a wide spreadreflects unusual market conditions for that security.

A second criteria for retaining data involves comparing current bid/askpricing with recent bid/ask pricing for differing securities. Forexample, if the current ask price of a given security is less than arecent bid price of the same or analogous security, this reflects arapid shift in market conditions rendering the recent data unreliable.This process is depicted in test 330, which is performed afterperforming block 320 or after a negative response to test 310, with apositive response branching to block 340 for the removal of thedisqualified data.

The remaining data sets are thereafter stored in matrix address format.After removing disqualified data at block 340, determining a negativeresponse to test 330, or determining a negative response to test 290, atblock 350, the active data is stored at A(I) and, at block 360, theinactive data is stored at matrix address X(I). This is repeated foreach security on the data set via next command, at block 370, andcontinues in real time via block 380. In fact, except for the closingdata, most, if not all, incoming transactions will be received on anasynchronous basis thereby creating a fluid database for processing inconnection with the following logic commands.

The first phase of system operation is directed to the preparation ofthe term structure of interest rates at a pre-selected time. Bydefinition, the term structure provides a set of spot rates sufficientto price a given note based on the note price data, the coupon rate andcoupon payment cycle. Assuming a note with five remaining coupons, theterm structure and associated spot rates corresponding with the fivecoupon dates and the current price data provide the requisiteinformation to set up the N equations with N unknowns—in this caseN=5—for simultaneous solution. The actual underlying mathematics is wellknown and explained in text materials, such as Strategic Fixed IncomeInvestment by Thomas S. Y. Ho, Dow Jones-Irwin Homewood, Ill. 60430, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if restated infull.

The necessity of actual data multiplies as the number of securitiesincreases with a corresponding number of simultaneous equations forsolution. As the data needs increase, a data filter must be establishedto confirm the viability of select data entry. This process is depictedin detail in FIG. 2. As presented therein, a complete set of data isavailable at select times associated with market closing, etc. This isexemplified by the closing price data released by the Federal Reservefor the securities traded each day.

Taking the closing data as the starting data set, the entire termstructure can be established spanning, e.g., ten years. Generating thisterm structure and the associated spot rates is accomplished inaccordance with the functions depicted in FIG. 3. In this context, spotrate is the market established rate of interest to a given maturity datein the future, e.g., the date associated with a coupon payment. Thisspot rate is required for the determination of the net present value(NPV) of the future coupon payment given today's market conditions. Aswill be seen, the price of a given note is the sum of the NPVs of eachof its coupons and the NPV of the final return of principal at maturity.

Turning now to FIG. 3, logic conceptually begins at block 400,proceeding to block 410 for the accessing of the final closing numbersof a set of relevant securities, i.e., the final Fed data on thetreasuries for that day. This set of data will include bid, ask andtrade price data for each security actively marketed during the day. Thesystem couples this data with the underlying biographies for eachsecurity creating a proper set of data that provides the coupon dates,coupon rate, remaining coupons, and maturity date, stored in matrix format P(I, N), wherein I is the security ID counter and N is a date/timecounter.

The table of variables used in the following flow diagrams is depictedhereinbelow:

TABLE Date_X(I) = maturity date of X(I) Coupon_X(I) = coupon rate forX(I) Coupon Date_X(I, J) = date of Jth coupon for X(I) rX(I) = spot rateto date_X(I) Discount_ X(I) = discount rate of X(I) p = subset X(proper) U = subset X (updates)

The proper set P, of data provides all the information required to setup and solve the simultaneous equations to define the term structure ofinterest rates spanning these securities. The first processing step isthe sort operation, block 420, which arranges the security database P(I,N) by maturity date, i.e, earlier maturing securities are prioritized.At block 430, the delivery date, DD is entered and logic then proceedsvia loop command 440 to test 450. At this stage, the system determineswhether the security is coupon bearing; if not (e.g., a T-bill), logicbranches to block 460 for accessing price information for the security.To solve for the spot rate, two equations are set up for the securityprice. These equations are presented below:

$\begin{matrix}{{{Price\_ P}(I)} = {100 - {100\frac{\left( {{{Date}\mspace{14mu}{P(I)}} - {DD}} \right)\mspace{11mu}{Discount}\mspace{14mu}{P(I)}}{(360)}}}} \\{{{Price\_ P}(I)} = \frac{100}{X^{Y}}} \\{wherein} \\{{X = {1 + \frac{{rP}(I)}{2}}};} \\{{Y = \frac{{{Date}\mspace{14mu}{P(I)}} - {DD}}{\left( {{{Coupon}\mspace{14mu}{Date\_ P}\left( {I,{N + 1}} \right)} - {{Coupon}\mspace{14mu}{Date\_ P}\left( {I,N} \right)}} \right)}};}\end{matrix}$

100 is the face value of the security; and

360 is the convention for the number of days in a year for a T-billsecurity.

By setting these two price equations equal to each other, the spot ratedefined by this security can be determined:

$\begin{matrix}{{{rP}(I)} = {2*\left( {{\left( \frac{1}{1 - {\frac{\left( {{{Date}\mspace{14mu}{P(I)}} - {DD}} \right)}{360}*{Discount\_ P}(I)}} \right)Z} - 1} \right)}} \\{wherein} \\{Z = {1/Y}}\end{matrix}$

For T-bills, no coupons exist, thus simplifying the above relationship.The calculated spot rate is solved at block 470 and then stored at block480; logic then proceeds to the next security I+1 via continue commandat block 490.

Assuming a positive response to test 450, the security is coupon bearingand logic proceeds to block 500, et seq., for the discounting of thesecurity and all of its associated coupons for the spot ratedetermination. The first step is to adjust the security price foraccrued interest associated with the next coupon payment. This isaccomplished with the following relationship:

${{{Price\_ P}(I)} = {{{Price\_ P}(I)} + \frac{A\mspace{14mu}{Coupon}\mspace{14mu}{P(I)}}{2}}};$whereinA = [DD − Coupon  Date  P(I, N)]/[Coupon  Date_P(I, N + 1) − Coupon  Date_P(I, N)]

At block 510, the system sets the number of remaining coupons associatedwith the instant security TC to act as a counter for the iterativeensuing processing. This is initiated by loop command 520, block 525 andtest 530. At block 525 and test 530, the system determines whether thecoupon date associated with the instant security matches the maturitydate of a security in the P(I, N) database. If so, the spot rate forthat coupon is calculated, as above, using the price data at block 535;if a match is not found with an existing maturing security, the systemlogic branches to block 540 and interpolates from existing maturitydates on either side of the coupon date. The use of linear interpolationis a reasonable approximation, as the maximum length of time betweenmaturing securities is six months.

After performing the operations at blocks 535 or 540, this process isrepeated for each value of J, via block 550, and then the resultant datais used to calculate the spot rate for the Ith security, rP(I, N), atblock 560. This is repeated for the entire set of securities from theclosing price data, at block 570, and stored for subsequent use, atblock 580.

Use of closing data from the Federal Reserve provides a complete set ofdata at a set point in time. After time, it becomes stale and needs tobe updated rapidly with incoming asynchronous data on currenttransactions taking place in the market. This is accomplished via theflow path depicted in FIG. 4. Logic conceptually begins at start block600 and inputs the data for the set of qualified actives in real time(i.e., within seconds of actual changes in a security price in terms ofoffer, bid and trade values) at block 610. The data for the actives A(I,N) is compared at test 620 to the existing proper set P(I, N−1) for theprevious time cycle (N−1) to discern whether new information isavailable on an existing security. If yes, logic branches to block 630and the new price data is used to update the spot rate for thatsecurity, via block 640.

Assuming a negative response to test 620 as no new data is received fora given member of the proper set, logic branches to block 650 for use ofproximate securities having new price data as pivot points torecalculate the spot rate for the security without updated information,block 660. More particularly, the spot rate of the security that has notbeen updated is calculated as a convex combination of the two nearestspot rates for which there is new (updated) information. The updatedspot rate data is used to complete the data set, block 670.

The spot rate data set, as continuously updated with new tradinginformation, is used to price a generic portfolio of select securitiesas expressed in terms of price relating to par, yield to maturity (YTM)and duration. This is accomplished for the exemplary portfolio describedabove by the logic path presented in FIG. 5. Logic conceptually beginsat start block 700, followed by test 710, which determines whether thedata set is closing or updated continuously; if closing (yes to test710), logic proceeds to block 730 and the proper closing data on theterm structure is used. If asynchronous (no to test 710), the update setof data is used, block 720.

In either event, the previous index values for the portfolio are loaded,block 740, and then iteratively processed with the new market data. Moreparticularly, the system iteratively determines the net present valuefor each of the four generic securities in the portfolio, via thecounter in block 750, including each coupon, via the counter in block760, by correlating the coupon and maturity dates for the generic issueswith the data set for spot rates, via the counter in block 770; if amatch occurs via test 780, the matching spot rate in the data set isused to calculate the NPV of the coupon, blocks 790 and 795. This isrepeated for each coupon, J, via block 820, and each generic security inthe portfolio, K, via block 830. If no match is found at test 780, thesystem tries the next security, via block 840.

Once the NPV is set for all of the components in the portfolio, thesystem calculates the portfolio price, block 850, the yield to maturity,YTM_F, block 860, and the portfolio duration, block 870. Thisinformation is displayed and made available to the associated network asan index, updated in real time by current price data, in a manneranalogous to the S & P 500 and Dow Jones 30 Industrials at block 880.

In a separate aspect of the present invention the foregoing index isused as the measure of current valuation in support of a futures marketbased on an underlying portfolio for the index. Through aninterconnected data network augmented with access to centralized brokersby telephone connection, the system offers automated electronicexecutions of futures and options contracts on the index for, e.g.,treasury notes and their corresponding cash security equivalents.

By viewing through vendors in real time the price and yield of theportfolio, index traders, investors, pension fund managers, and otherparticipants make determinations of market valuations of the durationsized portfolio. In so doing, bid, offer and execution decisions areimplemented instantaneously by traders. These decisions are enactedthrough computer terminals that are interconnected through internationaldata networks and processors to effectuate in real time the display ofquantities for bids and offers and the “hitting” and “taking” of thosebids and offers which then result in an executed trade. These trades arethen electronically displayed and distributed to a clearing processorand at the same time to data vendors for redistribution to the worldwidefinancial community.

One function of the futures transaction processor is the determinationof the least expensive portfolio of securities deliverable pursuant to afutures contract at the delivery date. Futures contracts based on theindex determined above will require delivery of a combination ofsecurities having 2, 3, 5 or 10 year maturities that, in combination,match the index duration and further comprise at most 50% of any oneissue (e.g. 3 year notes). Given this criteria, at the delivery date,the system scans the market for 2, 3, 5 and 10 year notes, testing eachcombination of current issues to provide the least expensive matchingcombination and providing a delineation of the least expensivecombination.

The system attributes described above may be more clearly understood inthe context of the flow chart depicted in FIG. 6. Beginning with block900, the system collects in real time the market positions ofparticipating fixed income security traders as expressed in theirvarious bid, offer and trade price data. This information is collatedand conformed to a common format, block 910, and coupled with theexisting treasury database, block 920, to discern a futures conversionfactor, block 930.

The first operation is to organize the data into respective maturitiesthat are associated with the specific index governing the futurescontract obligations. This is represented by the selection processor,block 940. The data for each class of securities, i.e., 2, 3, 5 and 10year maturities, is then sorted by price delineating the least expensivenote within each class, block 950. The linear programming module, block960, uses the sorted collection of notes in a minimalization algorithmthat searches by trial and error for the least expensive portfolio thatconforms to the delivery requirements of the futures contract.

The least expensive portfolio data is distributed three ways; first itis provided through the data vendors, block 970, to the financialcommunity. It is also directed to the options parameter processor, block980, for support of the transactions on the various options exchanges.The least expensive portfolio data is finally processed forming a“basis” quantifying the difference between the least expensive portfolioand the index value, block 990. This information is likewise distributedto the various market participants and exchanges as diagrammed. In thismanner, the actual real time index and least expensive portfolio valuessupport the trading in futures and options contracts, with currentvaluation and delivery expense determinations.

The above-described arrangement is merely illustrative of the principlesof the present invention. Numerous modifications and adaptations thereofwill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving prices for a plurality of securities traded in a securities market; determining by at least one computing device an index based at least in part on a plurality of the prices in which the index comprises an indicator for tracking a fixed income securities market; and as the securities are being traded in the securities market and prices of the securities are thereby changing: (a) receiving at least one of the prices that has changed; (b) updating by the at least one computing device the index based at least in part on the at least one changed price; and (c) communicating the updated index to at least a second computing device; and iteratively repeating at least steps (a), (b), and (c) as the securities continue to be traded in the securities market and the prices of the securities thereby continue to change.
 2. The method of claim 1, in which the fixed income securities market comprises the United States Treasuries market.
 3. The method of claim 2, in which the indicator tracks a portion of the United States Treasuries market.
 4. The method of claim 1, in which the fixed income securities market comprises a market foreign to a United States market.
 5. The method of claim 1, in which the fixed income securities market comprises a corporate bond market.
 6. The method of claim 1, in which the index comprises at least one of: a price index, a yield to maturity index, and a duration index.
 7. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one changed price comprises at least one of: a bid price, and an ask price.
 8. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one changed price comprises a transaction price.
 9. The method of claim 1, in which updating the index comprises updating the index in real time as the securities are being traded in the securities market and the prices of the securities are thereby changing.
 10. The method of claim 1, in which updating the index comprises updating the index asynchronously as the securities are being traded in the securities market and the prices of the securities are thereby changing.
 11. The method of claim 1, in which the prices for the plurality of securities comprise bid prices for at least a portion of the plurality of securities; and in which determining the index comprises determining the index based at least in part on a plurality of the bid prices.
 12. The method of claim 1, in which the prices for the plurality of securities comprise ask prices for at least a portion of the plurality of securities; and in which determining the index comprises determining the index based at least in part on a plurality of the ask prices.
 13. The method of claim 1, in which the prices for the plurality of securities comprise bid and ask prices for at least a portion of the plurality of securities; and in which determining the index comprises determining the index based at least in part on a plurality of the bid and ask prices.
 14. The method of claim 1, in which the prices for the plurality of securities comprise transaction prices for at least a portion of the plurality of securities; and in which determining the index comprises determining the index based at least in part on a plurality of the transaction prices.
 15. The method of claim 1, in which at least one of the plurality of securities comprises a non-actively traded security; and in which determining the index based at least in part on the plurality of the prices comprises not using the price corresponding to the at least one non-actively traded security to determine the index.
 16. The method of claim 1, in which at least one of the plurality of securities comprises a non-liquid security; and in which determining the index based at least in part on the plurality of the prices comprises not using the price corresponding to the at least one non-liquid security to determine the index.
 17. The method of claim 1, in which receiving the at least one changed price comprises receiving the at least one changed price in real time as the securities are being traded in the securities market and the prices of the securities are thereby changing.
 18. The method of claim 1, in which receiving the at least one changed price comprises receiving the at least one changed price asynchronously as the securities are being traded in the securities market and the prices of the securities are thereby changing.
 19. The method of claim 1, further comprising: after receiving the at least one changed price, determining that the at least one changed price comprises a valid price; and in which updating the index based on the at least one changed price comprises updating the index based at least in part on determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price.
 20. The method of claim 19,in which determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price comprises at least one: comparing the at least one changed price to a bid price and determining that the at least one changed price is greater than the bid price, comparing the at least one changed price to an offer price and determining that the at least one changed price is less than the offer price, and determining a spread between the at least one changed price and another price and determining that the spread does not exceed a predetermined value.
 21. The method of claim 1, further comprising: after receiving the at least one changed price, determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises a liquid security; and in which updating the index based on the at least one changed price comprises updating the index based at least in part on determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises the liquid security.
 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising: determining that the at least one changed price comprises a valid price; and in which updating the index based on the at least one changed price comprises updating the index based at least in part on: determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price, and determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises the liquid security.
 23. The method of claim 22, in which determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price comprises at least one: comparing the at least one changed price to a bid price and determining that the at least one changed price is greater than the bid price, comparing the at least one changed price to an offer price and determining that the at least one changed price is less than the offer price, and determining a spread between the at least one changed price and another price and determining that the spread does not exceed a predetermined value.
 24. The method of claim 1, further comprising: after receiving the at least one changed price, determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises an actively traded security; and in which updating the index based on the at least one changed price comprises updating the index based at least in part on determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises the actively traded security.
 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: determining that the at least one changed price comprises a valid price; and in which updating the index based on the at least one changed price comprises updating the index based at least in part on: determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price, and determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises the actively traded security.
 26. The method of claim 25, in which determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price comprises at least one: comparing the at least one changed price to a bid price and determining that the at least one changed price is greater than the bid price, comparing the at least one changed price to an offer price and determining that the at least one changed price is less than the offer price, and determining a spread between the at least one changed price and another price and determining that the spread does not exceed a predetermined value.
 27. The method of claim 1, in which the at least second computing device is associated with at least one data vendor.
 28. The method of claim 1, in which communicating the updated index comprises communicating the updated index to the at least second computing device in real time as the securities are being traded in the securities market and the prices of the securities are thereby changing.
 29. The method of claim 1, in which communicating the updated index comprises communicating the updated index to the at least second computing device asynchronously as the securities are being traded in the securities market and the prices of the securities are thereby changing.
 30. An apparatus comprising at least one computing device operable to; receive prices for a plurality of securities traded in a securities market; determine an index based at least in part on a plurality of the prices, in which the index comprises an indicator for tracking a fixed income securities market; and as the securities are being traded in the securities market and prices of the securities are thereby changing: (a) receive at least one of the prices that has changed; (b) update the index based at least in part on the at least one changed price; and (c) communicate the updated index to at least a second computing device; and in which the at least one computing device is further operable to iteratively repeat at least operations (a), (b), and (c) as the securities continue to be traded in the securities market and the prices of the securities thereby continue to change.
 31. The apparatus of claim 30, in which the at least one computing device is further operable to: after receiving the at least one changed price, determine that the at least one changed price comprises a valid price; and in which to update the index based on the at least one changed price comprises to update the index based at least in part on determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price.
 32. The apparatus of claim 31, in which to determine that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price comprises at least one: to compare the at least one changed price to a bid price and determine that the at least one changed price is greater than the bid price, to compare the at least one changed price to an offer price and determine that the at least one changed price is less than the offer price, and to determine a spread between the at least one changed price and another price and determine that the spread does not exceed a predetermined value.
 33. The apparatus of claim 30, in which the at least one computing device is further operable to: after receiving the at least one changed price, determine that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises a liquid security; and in which to update the index based on the at least one changed price comprises to update the index based at least in part on determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises the liquid security.
 34. The apparatus of claim 33, in which the at least one computing device is further operable to: determine that the at least one changed price comprises a valid price; and in which to update the index based on the at least one changed price comprises to update the index based at least in part on: determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price, and determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises the liquid security.
 35. The apparatus of claim 34, in which to determine that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price comprises at least one: to compare the at least one changed price to a bid price and determine that the at least one changed price is greater than the bid price, to compare the at least one changed price to an offer price and determine that the at least one changed price is less than the offer price, and to determine a spread between the at least one changed price and another price and determine that the spread does not exceed a predetermined value.
 36. The apparatus of claim 30, in which the at least one computing device is further operable to: after receiving the at least one changed price, determine that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises an actively traded security; and in which to update the index based on the at least one changed price comprises to update the index based at least in part on determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises the actively traded security.
 37. The apparatus of claim 36, in which the at least one computing device is further operable to: determine that the at least one changed price comprises a valid price; and in which to update the index based on the at least one changed price comprises to update the index based at least in part on: determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price, and determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises the actively traded security.
 38. The apparatus of claim 37, in which to determine that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price comprises at least one: to compare the at least one changed price to a bid price and determine that the at least one changed price is greater than the bid price, to compare the at least one changed price to an offer price and determine that the at least one changed price is less than the offer price, and to determine a spread between the at least one changed price and another price and determine that the spread does not exceed a predetermined value.
 39. A method comprising: receiving prices for a plurality of securities traded in a securities market; determining by at least one computing device an index based at least in part on a plurality of the prices, in which the index comprises an indicator for tracking a fixed income securities market; and as the securities are being traded in the securities market and prices of the securities are thereby changing: (a) receiving at least one of the prices that has changed; (b) updating by the at least one computing device the index based at least in part on the at least one changed price; and (c) displaying the updated index; and iteratively repeating at least steps (a), (b), and (c) as the securities continue to be traded in the securities market and the prices of the securities thereby continue to change.
 40. The method of claim 39, in which displaying the index comprises displaying the index in real time as the securities are being traded in the securities market and prices of the securities are thereby changing.
 41. The method of claim 40, further comprising: after receiving the at least one changed price, determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises a liquid security; and in which updating the index based on the at least one changed price comprises updating the index based at least in part on determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises the liquid security.
 42. The method of claim 41, further comprising: determining that the at least one changed price comprises a valid price; and in which updating the index based on the at least one changed price comprises updating the index based at least in part on: determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price, and determining that the security corresponding to the at least one changed price comprises the liquid security.
 43. The method of claim 42, in which determining that the at least one changed price comprises the valid price comprises at least one: comparing the at least one changed price to a bid price and determining that the at least one changed price is greater than the bid price, comparing the at least one changed price to an offer price and determining that the at least one changed price is less than the offer price, and determining a spread between the at least one changed price and another price and determining that the spread does not exceed a predetermined value. 